Madhuri Dixit Nene, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's 'Devdas' clocked 20 years on Tuesday.
Based on the 1917 novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the film narrates the story of Devdas Mukherjee, a wealthy law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood friend, Paro. However, the rejection of their marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcoholism, ultimately leading to his emotional deterioration and him seeking refuge with the golden-hearted courtesan Chandramukhi.
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film embodies undying love, pain and self-destruction.
'Devdas' is considered to be one of the greatest films made in the history of Indian cinema. From the film's narrative, visuals, larger-than-life set and, of course, the songs are the reasons why 'Devdas' has become a classic. It is also regarded as one of Bhansali's best works.
Here's why the film made headlines at the time of its release:
Visual spectacle by Bhansali
Bhansali spent whooping Rs 50 crore for overall production of the film. Back then it was considered one of the most expensive Hindi films ever made with Rs 20 crore spent on six sets itself. Every shot, every frame of this film is like an artist's canvas. The sets and costumes must be lauded very highly. It has always been amazing and a real pleasure to just observe these elements in the film. Also, the whole set was reportedly ready only after 7-9 months of hard work.
Dream casting
It was a indeed treat to watch the biggest stars of Bollywood together in one film. SRK as Devdas, Aishwarya as Paro and Madhuri as Chandramukhi did justice to their characters. The supporting actors were also incredible, particularly Jackie Shroff as Chuni Babu and Kiron Kher as Paro's mother.
2002’s biggest hit
Although the reviews were generally mixed, 'Devdas' was successful at the box office in India and overseas, due to its cast's performances, costumes, dialogues, narrative style, and sound designs. In India, the film reportedly had a theatrical run of 14 weeks and it collected Rs 20.9 million on the opening day, the year's highest first-day earnings, and Rs 61.5 million after the first weekend.
Timeless music
The soundtrack of the film, which was developed for two years, contains nine original songs (composed by Ismail Darbar and Birju Maharaj) and one background score (composed by Monty Sharma). Shreya Ghoshal made her playback singing debut with this film. The album received positive reviews from music critics, who mostly praised Ghoshal's singing and Darbar's composition. It won several awards, including two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. 'Dola Re Dola', 'Silsila Ye Chahat Ka', 'Bairi Piya' and 'Maar Dala' are regarded as the best songs from 'Devdas'.
Did you know?
Aishwarya walked the Cannes Film Festival red carpet for the first time representing ‘Devdas’ in 2002.
With high cost came high maintenance as over 700 light men and 42 generators were reportedly used during the shoot.
Real weddings faced problems since most light and décor were used for the grand and lavish sets of the film.
Despite being non-alcoholic, Shah Rukh Khan had reportedly consumed a few pegs of alcohol to add authenticity to his character.
The role of Chuni Babu, played by Jackie Shroff, was initially offered to Govinda, Saif Ali Khan and Manoj Bajpayee.
The cost of setting up Chandramukhi's kotha in the film was nearly Rs 12 crore and the lake outside would dry out many times.
The costume Madhuri wore while dancing to ‘Kahe Chedd Mohe’ weighed 30 kg, which was one of the first heaviest costumes which evolved from a Bhansali film.
Kareena Kapoor Khan was supposed to be cast as Paro but her mother declined the role because the actress was too young.
